The Blue Wave of Gunma

Family

-A Couple Days Later... (Y/n's POV)-

The funeral was.... Well... How most funerals go....

...

It was... depressing...

...

I couldn't really think much. Like, it hurt painfully, knowing I wasn't going to see him again. He was always in the hospital and I could visit him, and before then, I could just get home from school and see him at the house, or he'd take me driving up and down the mountain. The fact I lost the biggest race of my life made it far worse. I was lost in my emotions and just raced them without a conscience almost. It was like I was blowing off steam or letting out all my emotions in a battle I knew I couldn't even win... I was so stupid.... It felt like shit. I felt like shit. I feel like shit....

...

My Father was being buried at the top of Mount Myogi, not too far from the start of the downhill. The hospital told me that this is where he wanted to be. I couldn't think of a better place. It was a bit expensive, but fortunately, it wasn't really a problem. More people showed up than I expected. Iori, the guys, and Rikka came. I also noticed that a lot of older folk showed up too, including the boss of the gas station and the old man who ran the tofu place; Didn't know why they came, must've been friends. Haru couldn't make it as he was working. We were all wearing the appropriate attire, which added a bit more sadness into the air. I haven't heard anything from Mom in a long time... I wondered how she was doing. I thought about her daily since I've been here in Japan, but now it's become more apparent since my Dad's gone. I wondered if or when she'll find out; or if she'll say something about it to me.

It was a sunny day. Warm, no clouds. The cars were lined up on the side of the road. Rikka, Iori, and I shed tears while the others had sad looks on their faces. We were under a tent so it would block out most of the sunlight. It was hard. I couldn't stop staring at the casket. I wanted to look away, but I just couldn't. Iori soon went to the front, next to the casket and faced everyone, as he was going to do a small speech. He gave a sigh and cleared his throat before speaking.

"...D/n... was a great man and a wonderful father and probably the best friend I've ever had. I can't think of anyone else that could compare to him. He was always cracking jokes and making sure everyone was having a great time, whatever the occasion was. He cared for his friends, his racing friends and enemies, and his son, Y/n. Not only was he a good man, he was an even more fantastic driver. He was number 3 of his team and one of the kings, if not the king of Myogi pass. I believe it was truly unfortunate that he passed away due to this illness. I... Remember when I met him. This was before he got into his team. He came to the shop in his scratched up and dented car, told me he had hit a couple guardrails. At first I just sighed and took it in and worked on it. After more and more tiny accidents, we started becoming better friends as he'd just come to the shop over and over. He then started to get a lot better at driving. After a while, we upgraded his car and he was faster than ever. He got into a team, which he enjoyed being in very much. They raced other teams, they raced each other, and they raced everywhere. Then, it was time for him to teach his boy to race. He stopped racing and used the time to teach Y/n how to race, and he's progressed so far now. He would be so proud to see how far his boy's come. D/n will be dearly missed by everyone who loves him and cares for him... Thank you for coming, everyone."

He finished his speech and I was almost left in tears again. He put his hand on the casket, giving a small prayer to dad before returning back to us. I wanted to go up and talk, but I couldn't. I would be an emotional wreck.

The funeral session soon ended. The older folk left after giving me their condolences, leaving Iori, Rikka, the guys, and I. We walked out of the tent as the servicemen doing the burial closed it and started burying the casket. I lost all feeling of wanting to do anything. I lost my motivation to race... I lost my motivation to be with people... for a long while at least. Iketani, Itsuki, and Kenji walked over to me.